Laundry and other machines



Dec. 2, 1947 E. J. HOWLETT LAUNDRY AND OTHER MACHINES File d Nov. 15, 1944 In venlor Edward 7772 J-[owleii' A ttorneys Patented Dec. 2, 1947 UNi'iED STATES ZPA'E'EN'E' ZABZM? England, assigncr to H rry Gledh' l, Norman Ramsden Gledhill, and Malcolm Gledhill, all

of Halifax, Thomass) England,

(doing business as Application November 15. 1944. Seral No. 563,489 In Great Britain December 21, 1943 4 Claims.

In laundry presses the arrangement is commonly such that the buck can be left with ample room over it for arranging the work and the head is then brought into position close over the work before the operative pressure is applied. A linkage including one or more power cylinders and a lever arm by which the head is carried and through which the pressure is applied is one known arrangement.

One part of the present invention is designed to provide a press in which the head is arranged to be moved clear on a lever arm in such a way that gravity will tend to keep it away from the buck and the likelihood of accident or injury to an operator even in case of breakage of a pivot or spring or failure of power is very remote. This can be accomplished by pivoting the lever arm which carries the head, and allows it to sw1ng away from the buck, at a point beneath the buck (e. g. directly beneath its centre line) such that gravity will tend to swing the head about the pivot in a downward arc away from the front of the press (or position of the operator). If the buck and head are correspondingly curved the clearance between them will not be reduced below a predetermined amount as the head is swung into position; this can be accomplished by an auxiliary power cylinder engaging.

the lower limb or" a somewhat C-shaped lever at a suitable point behind the pivot. The swinging linkage, such for example as just described, may be mounted as an independently operable mechanism from a lever of the mechanism that applies the working pressure.

Other parts of the invention, especially in its application to a laundry or like press, will be clear from what follows, the parts for which a monopoly is desired being delimited by the claims.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawing in a typical form as applied to a laundry or like press.

The drawing shows a rather diagrammatic side elevation of the press.

As shown, the bed I of the press is provided with pillars 2 which support an upper casting 3 carrying the buck 4. The head 5 is carried by a bracket 5 pivotally mounted on a somewhat C-shaped lever T which is pivoted at 8 to a block 9 guided in a slot !5 in the upper casting 3. Also pivoted at B is the upper end of a link it of which the lower end is pivoted at 2 to the main power lever 3: a link constituted by the auxiliary power cylinder l4 and piston rod i5 can also have its lower end articulated to link ll, preferably being pivoted, as shown, to the power is app-lied to lever IE on the same axis l2 as the link II. The main power lever i3 is pivotally mounted at 24 to a block 25 adjustably mounted on the base of the machine. As shown it is slidable on a thread-- ed pillar l6 and adjusted by nuts IT. The pressure moment is applied to the end of the lever 53 by downward movement of the piston in the main power cylinder I8 supplied with pressure fluid and exhausted by pipe IS. A spring 20 holds the lever it in its. upper position againstoi the head and swinging linkage, all as shown in full lines in the drawing, until the pressure fluid is applied to the main power cylinde-r it to compress the head 3 against the buck 4.

The particular method of universally mounting the head under resilient control and of arranging the main power cylinder and lever are the subject of separate co-pending applications Ser. Nos. 601,992 and 601,993, filed June 28, 1945, and are therefore not more fully described here'.

In operation, after using the press, the main cylinder pressure is relieved, allowing the main power lever i3 and the remaining parts to rise under pressure of return spring 28 and leave a clearance between the head and the buck as shown in full lines in the drawing. Pressure in the auxiliary cylinder It being relieved, the head 5 swirgs back into the lower position shown in dotted lines under influence of gravity. When the next work has been arranged the head is returned over it by admitting pressure fluid to the auxiliary cylinder it: it will be noted that once in this position a substantially central and vertical pull is exerted through the vertical link H to apply the final pressure when the main power lever 13 is operated.

It will be noted that the whole of the mechanism can readily be enclosed without affecting the operator, except the head and its lever arm which swing away from the operator behind the base.

It is to be noted that the head is mounted on a somewhat C-shaped lever which swings it clear or into operative position, and that the main the lever substantially in the line normal to the surfaces at the centre of pressure, so as to produce a direct pull drawing the head against the buck. The pull is not necessarily-vertical, as it might in some cases be convenient to arrange the buck at a suitable incline towards the operator.

I claim: l. A laundry or like press having a buck on the weight so that the head can be swung from a position behind the buck to a position over the buck, main power means operatively connected to the pivot of the lever, means to guide the pivot of the lever for movement substantially in the direction normal to the surfaces of the head and buck at the centre of pressure, a member pivotally connected to the lever, means constraining the said member to move bodily in substantially the same direction as the pivot of the lever, and means linking the said member to the lever and including auxiliary power means whereby the lever is caused to swing about its pivot to bring the head into position over the buck.

2. A laundry or like press according to claim 1, the said member forming a link in the operative connection of the main power means to the pivot of the lever.

3. A laundry or like press having a buck on which work can be arranged and a head, a lever pivoted below the buck and carrying the head, so that the head can be swung from a position behind the buck to a position over the buck, main power means operatively connected to the pivot of the lever, a member movable with the pivot of 5 the lever, means to constrain the said member and the pivot of the lever to move substantially in the line of pressure normal to head and buck surfaces at the centre of pressure, and a link incorporating an auxiliary power cylinder, the

4 said link connecting the said lever to the said member and being operative to swing the lever about the pivot thereof to bring the head into operative position over the buck.

4. A laundry or like press according to claim 1, wherein the lever is connected with the head by pivot means the center of which is located in the line of movement of the pivotal point of the lever through which the pressure is applied.

EDWARD JOHN HOWLETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,667,831 Yanchenko May 1, 1928 1,680,891 Ledbetter Aug. 14, 1928 1,763,648 Davis June 17, 1930 1,984,496 Rapisarda Dec. 18, 1934 2,006,629 Davis July 2, 1935 2,035,797 Davis Mar. 31, 1936 2,045,446 Davis June 23, 1936 2,186,490 Marvin Jan. 9, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 692,294 Germany June 17, 1940 

